Writing is a challenge, even when it goes well. Good writing is a gift from the universe, but it’s never guaranteed. Even people that write incredibly well have times when it just doesn’t click; the piece never comes together as they had hoped.
For those of us who write often and who are always chasing that “click,” this article provides some good tips and hints on how you can improve your writing – sometimes without changing a word.
Regular readers of our AHA blog know that we’re big fans of Chris Brogan. He’s smart, he’s talented, he’s kind and he’s generous with his knowledge. A pretty great combination, if you ask us. We always find something interesting on his blog – topics that engage us in conversation and discussion in the AHA office and with clients. One of his recent posts on how important it is for communicators to do more than “talk well” resonated with me. This post is worth a read.
We know that the world has changed and that technology has empowered us – as communications professionals and as people. The use of visuals to tell a story is more popular than ever and more accessible, thanks to widespread access to technology (and the reasonable price tag).
As communicators, we will always be charged with developing positioning and messaging. I can’t imagine that speeches, newsletters or editorial style content are going away anytime soon; however, there is so much more to communicating these days.
We have used both professionally shot and flip style video for many years now. While we are smart enough to know when it’s time to bring in the professionals, we have also learned how to shoot and edit our own guerilla/Flip style videos. We use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (and so many more) – all online communications tools that demand a different understanding and approach to communication, including how to engage with an image or video. Our abilities don’t end there – Paul took a web design/html course so we can better understand what it takes to build a site. Not that we, personally, will build a site, but we need to know what it takes and be able to make minor changes. I am obsessed with online measurement and we have spent time at conferences and workshops focused on how to interpret online stats and measurements. I am continually reviewing the incredible information that can be gleaned on Google Analytics to better understand what works online for our clients and what doesn’t. SEO is another area that it is important for communications professionals to understand.
All of this at once can seem overwhelming, I know. But if you are a communicator, you can choose one area a month and spend a little time understanding how it works and what it means to your organization (or you can just call us and we can help).
It’s important to have at least a working knowledge of a wide range of communication tools and approaches relevant to today’s technology and to the expectations and demands of your stakeholders.
At AHA, we understand the value of using video in communication initiatives. Some of the work we do in brand journalism has video segments as the central communication tool.
One of the challenges that we face is finding the balance between what the client wants to say and what the viewer really wants to see. And sometimes that is harder to do than it should be.
We have had some passionate discussions with clients about the content and length of their videos over this. (For the record, I believe strongly in passionate discussion – even disagreement. As long as it is respectful and focuses on the topic and not on the people, a discussion where not everyone agrees can be of huge value. Done well, it can create an exceptional end product or result.) It can be hard to get someone to move away from what they want to tell and focus on the other side – what people want to hear, how they want to hear it and when they want to hear it.
In working with clients, one of our responsibilities is to provide a strategic perspective. To me, this means that I must represent the perspective of the community, the audience and/or the stakeholder group during the planning, creative and implementation stages of the process.
During planning sessions, I often ask (respectfully, of course): “Why does that matter to this audience? Who will care about that point? Does that need to be included? Does that need to be said in that way?”
For the most part, at AHA we’re not big fans of overly produced, corporate style videos. It always depends on the client’s objectives, of course, but in all of the research we have done, for all of the videos we have made (as AHA and in our prior lives before we found the happiness of AHA), time and time again it comes back to creating compelling content that the target market relates to. That doesn’t mean you don’t need good production value; it does mean that you need to understand how to tell a story that is relevant to the person you are telling it to.
Too often, video becomes overwhelmed with corporate speak, too many messages and even becomes embroiled in the politics of an organization. (If VP Smith is in the video, we have to include VP Jones. If we film at the East Office, we have to also film at the West Office. And the list goes on.) This dilutes the value of the video and moves you away from the objective – to create relevant, compelling content that connects you to the viewer.
When you are producing video for your organization, it’s crucial to take the focus off what you want to say and focus on what your community wants to hear from you.
USA Today ran an article recently that focused on the Public Relations Society of America’s new pilot project that will be launched at five business schools. This project will teach MBA students how to manage crises and preserve corporate reputations. While teaching corporate communications is not new, this approach has quite a few updated elements along with some new areas. I haven’t seen more than this article, but I think it’s a great idea. The more business professionals understand the value of corporate reputation and the role of public relations, the better.
When the senior team of an organization or business has an understanding of public relations and its value, there is a different mindset and culture. In my experience, even during an issue or crisis, a senior executive who respects communication and understands that it is a strategic role has a better opportunity to manage the reputation of the organization – or at least, mitigate the damage. Those who don’t understand the value of PR seem to underestimate the value of consistent and regular communication with stakeholder groups. They seem to discount the power and reach of their community and this can create a great deal of damage to their organizational, professional and even personal reputations. Poor communication can hurt profits and growth – and that impacts the future.
There are many senior executives who see PR as “spin.” That is a battle that we, as communicators, often have to fight. I recently had a senior level professional refer to me in a meeting as “the spin doctor.” And he was serious. His perception is that what we do is to “massage” information so it is more palatable. I respectfully (and with humour) corrected him, explaining that we refer to ourselves as communicators and that if he was looking for “spin,” I was in the wrong room… But I am not sure that he really understands what we do and I don’t think he really cares to learn more about it – which is unfortunate. However, in this case, there are other individuals on the senior team who completely “get it” and are committed to increasing and improving internal and external communication at this organization.
One of the best quotes in the USA Today piece came from a public relations professor who said: “It’s not about sugar-coating and preserving happy images and smiling faces.” And I think that’s an important message to share regarding public relations. Often, we are involved in sharing the good news and the positive stories, but that is only one component of the role we play. If the organization is smart, there is a strategic communications professional at the senior table. And when there are issues such as layoffs, restructurings, a bad quarter or year, a lawsuit or any one of the dozens of other operational challenges that organizations face, the communications person is a key participant in the discussions.
When an organization faces a crisis, a smart CEO, president or chief administrator works closely with his/her communications advisor. And the role of the communicator, in my opinion, is to help make things right and to communicate so that the people involved or impacted are aware of what is being done, why, when and how. Not everything is the “fault” of an organization, but it remains important that there is leadership during a challenging time (no matter who is at fault) – that someone in a senior role assures stakeholders and communicates clearly about the situation, how it impacts them and what is being done.
There are times when things go wrong. When someone (or many people) at the organization makes a mistake and there are serious consequences, the leadership team has to step up and explain what happened, how it happened, what is being done to make it right and what is being done so it will never happen again. Reputation management isn’t just about making sure the organization’s image appears intact during an issue or a crisis. It’s about doing the right thing and sharing that information consistently so the organization maintains a good reputation. Most people will support an organization that steps up, that is accountable and responsible, and that apologizes and explains what they are doing to make things right. It’s when they try to downplay their role, hide their mistake, “spin” their part in it or refuse to be accountable for their actions that things can go sideways fast.
I think the more business students know about public relations and the strategic role it plays, the better companies will respond to stakeholder and community expectations and to issues and crises. What do you think?
There are times when I feel really, really, really busy – and it can feel overwhelming. The fact is, I like to be busy. I work better when AHA is busy and I have more fun when I have many things on my list to get done – in both my professional and personal life. Some days, however, it feels a little less exciting and a little more pressured and overwhelming. It’s not necessarily in response to anything except the conversation that runs through my brain.
I came across a fabulous blog post on Ragan.com today that spoke to my anxiety and concern. It was like the writer knew how I was feeling and was speaking directly to me. Believe me, it’s worth a read. Especially in these sunny, beautiful days of summer.